Purdue News
Purdue News
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March 2, 2004 Schools of Engineering honor outstanding faculty membersWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Schools of Engineering honored several faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research and service to the university and the field of engineering. The Engineering Faculty Awards banquet was Saturday (2/28) in the North Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. The banquet marked the conclusion of Purdue's second annual Engineers Week, a celebration of the accomplishments of the schools' students, faculty, staff and alumni. Awards and recipients are: • Advising Award – Robert E. Montgomery, associate professor in freshman engineering. In his 15 years as director of the freshman engineering honors program, Montgomery advised all honors freshman engineers, taught honors courses, created two specialized honors seminars and developed the precollege summer program known as the Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects. He has been named the top adviser in freshman engineering four times and was honored twice as best teacher. • Engagement /Service Award – Marlin U. Thomas, professor in the School of Industrial Engineering. The former head of the School of Industrial Engineering, Thomas serves as an ambassador to industry for Purdue by taking part in numerous panels, committees and advisory groups dealing with research, education and engineering. His service includes more than 20 review panels for the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and various universities, six years as a reviewer for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and participation in the Naval Reserve Policy Board, Army Science Board and U.S. Council on Competitiveness. • Mentoring Award – Robert J. Bernhard, mechanical engineering professor and director of the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories. As a leader in interdisciplinary research at Purdue, Bernhard has both officially and unofficially mentored undergraduate and graduate students, junior faculty, visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows and even junior high and high school teachers. He has worked toward the recruitment and retention of minority students and faculty members, and was one of the founders of the schools' Diversity Action Committee. • Research Award – C.T. Sun, Neil A. Armstrong Distinguished Professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. During his career, Sun has extensively studied fracture mechanics, impact and plasticity, and composite materials. He has written a book, published more than 240 journal articles, presented more than 250 papers at conferences and lectured at more than 90 universities worldwide. He has earned the designation of fellow from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Society for Composites and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. • Young Researcher Award – Thomas J. Webster, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. A faculty member for three years, Webster has written six book chapters, 73 published articles and contributed to more than 130 conference presentations. He has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, was awarded the Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society and has received 13 patents. At Purdue, Webster has developed three new undergraduate courses, serves as co-director of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and is director of a project to create Web-based learning activities for elementary, precollege, and college students and industry personnel. • Team Award – Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education. Team members are Beate L. Allert, associate professor and German chair, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature; Dianne L. Atkinson, communication specialist, School of Mechanical Engineering; Eckhard A. Groll, associate professor, School of Mechanical Engineering; E. Daniel Hirleman, William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering; Wei Hong, associate professor and associate head, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature; Jerry L. Matthews, director, Office of Industrial Experience, School of Mechanical Engineering; and Lisa X. Xu, associate professor, School of Mechanical Engineering. The first program of its kind, the Global Engineering Alliance for Research and Education is helping Purdue globalize its engineering education. The program combines international and domestic internships, a semester of study abroad and a two-semester multinational design experience. It also includes language and cultural orientation without increasing graduation time or student expense. Through the work of the team, strategic partnerships have been made among Purdue, China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Germany's Universitat Karlsruhe. • Dean A.A. Potter Award – Deborah K. Follman, assistant professor in freshman engineering. Since joining Purdue's faculty less than two years ago, Follman has taught more than 700 freshman and sophomore engineering students. Her research involving student academic achievement and pedagogical techniques for teaching large lecture courses reflect her commitment to engineering education. In her teaching, Follman stresses real-world relevance of coursework, maintains an interactive classroom and gives assignments that promote creativity, understanding and teamwork. The Dean A.A. Potter Award recognizes the schools' most outstanding teacher and is given with input from a committee of faculty and undergraduate students. Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: Klod Kokini, assistant dean, Schools of Engineering, (765) 494-5727, kokini@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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